Quick Non-Comic Review -- The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury

The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury will probably be the last Walking Dead thing I read. I'll still watch the show for the time being but I'm done with the comic and the novels. This one was a little interesting, the characters were a bit more unique and it was another early zombie outbreak story which I find more interesting than the stuff going on in the comic now but overall, it just wasn't really that interesting a story. You sort of saw the Governor's slide into darkness continue for a part of this book but it just wasn't really enough to warrant a novel. The "main" characters in this book seemed mostly throw away characters and as it switched from different perspectives it seemed to do so at bad times, never really giving the full story behind a character's thoughts or actions. And in the end, none of it seemed to matter anyways. So, for me at least, it really feels more like a money grab than a story that really needed to be told. Walking Dead fans may enjoy it, but it doesn't make my recommended reading list.

Ottawa Comiccon 2013 Recap

Ottawa Comiccon has come to a close today and what a convention it was (for me at least). This one had a heavy Joss Whedon feel to it with the likes of Nathan Fillion, Jewel Staite, James Marsters, Nicholas Brendon, and Felicia Day attending among others (not to mention Summer Glau who ended up cancelling at the last minute due to a passport issue, it happens but she was missed by all). But it also had a much better comic book/artist alley line up compared to last year with the likes of Chris Claremont, Neal Adams, Dale Keown, Richard Starkings, and George Perez coming out. So all in all, I had high hopes for this weekend and I really wasn't disappointed other than Herb Trimpe failing to attend again this year (not sure why).

With a slightly smaller crowd, Friday was a good day for me to knock off quite a few things. Like signing up for a commission from Dale Keown, dropping by Richard Starkings' table to get the Elephantmen print signed and talk comics with him (he's great with his fans by the way), buy a Chewbacca bathrobe (which is awesome), grabbing autographs from Jewel Staite, Felicia Day, and Nicholas Brendon, and a photo with Jewel.

Chewie!

Day two was so much more hectic on the floor but fortunately for me, I had a "VIP" pass that helped get me into the Nathan Fillion/Jewel Staite panel as well as the Felicia Day panel, along with front line access to Nathan Fillion's autograph and photo and the Wil Wheaton/Felicia Day photo. Then there was the Nicholas Brendon panel. Then I picked up my sketch from Dale Keown (an incredibly awesome Abomination drawing). And at some point (the day is a bit of a blur) I grabbed a sketch from Pia Guerra (who, in my humble opinion, should charge much more for her sketches).

Pia Guerra's Yorick and Ampersand

 

 

 

 

 

Dale Keown's Abomination

Day three was a bit easier on me. To start, I had the Nathan Fillion panel (the VIP pass helped yet again) and that panel became Nathan and Jewel part 2 (which was awesome again). Then it was shopping (grabbed a page from the Hulk/Pitt one shot from Dale Keown) and just seeing what I might have missed the first two days. My brother, Brent, decided to grab a George Perez Thor sketch and to be honest, I'll probably regret not getting one myself once I'm awake enough to really think about it. But at that point, I just couldn't bring myself to stand in another line. Then I screwed up. I asked Mike Rooth if I could buy a coaster with a Hulk sketch on it but with everything going on, my tiredness, and needing to make sure I had Mother's Day covered I completely forgot to go back and get it. I feel absolutely horrible about that and I'm hoping I can get in touch with him via Twitter so I can make amends at Fan Expo Canada or some other convention.

George Perez sketching Thor for Brent

So, all in all it was a great time for me but I am completely exhausted. One nice thing about it being in Ottawa is I get to meet up with local friends there. Friends who don't make the trip to Fan Expo Canada. And getting to see how happy they are to meet Nathan Fillion or Gillian Anderson, or just sit in on a Nicholas Brendon or James Marsters Q&A panel makes a convention so much better for me. I think the best thing about comic conventions for me is just seeing the joy you see in people when they meet their idols, whether it's an actor, a writer, an artist, or whatever else. That feeling just seems infectious (almost as infectious as the "con flu" that I'm bound to get) but seeing it in your friends' faces just amps it up a bit. So thank you to the organizers, the volunteers, exhibitors, guests, anyone else I haven't covered, and my friends/family including Brent, Carl, Michelle, Meaghan, Amy, and Sean, for making this convention so incredibly awesome. See ya next year!

Quick Comic Reviews - Angel and Faith Volume 3

Free Comic Book Day seemed to be very successful with both stores I visited having plenty of customers coming and going. Many seemed to be new to comics or at least not current customers. A lot of kids and women as well, which I feel is a very good sign.

But this weekend is Ottawa Comiccon which I was pretty excited for, I love conventions. But with Nathan Fillion added at the last minute, I'm absolutely bouncing off the walls. There are just so many people I'm excited to see but Nathan, he's been near the top of my list for a while. Joss Whedon (which I realize will never happen) tops the list, by the way.

Angel and Faith Volume 3 -- This book continues to be a huge step up from the previous Buffy/Angel books, even making those books somewhat more palatable. Still not edible, just slightly less toxic. So maybe it's that those books were just so bad but I'm still enjoying this series. It may not make my recommended reading list, even for Buffy/Angel fans, but I don't regret picking it up. Which seems like a backhanded compliment I know but it's the best I have at the moment.

And now to get back to thinking about Ottawa Comiccon. I'll be sure to post a recap at some point.

Quick Comic Reviews -- Superman, Star Trek, and Hawkeye

Have I mentioned Ottawa Comiccon lately? Probably but I'll mention it again because I love attending comic conventions. And Ottawa Comiccon is looking very good this year. I'm eager to meet Jewel Staite, Summer Glau, Felicia Day (for a second time), Wil Wheaton, and Nicholas Brendon but they've also seriously upped their comic guest line up from last year with George Perez, Chris Claremont, Neal Adams, Dale Keown, Richard Starkings, Arthur Suydam, Herb Trimpe, Larry Hama, Pia Guerra, and many others coming out. It's looking to be a great (and expensive) weekend.

But as for the latest batch of comic reviews...

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness - I had high hopes for this book as I really enjoyed the comic they put out prior to the previous movie. I felt it really flushed out parts of the backstory and set up the movie well. I didn't get that feeling so much this time. There were hints of an upcoming story but nothing as major as last time. It didn't seem really that important to the story. The writing was okay, the art was pretty good, but it was just an okay Star Trek comic. Not really a must-read, just an "if you're interested."

Superman: Secret Identity - I didn't have a lot of confidence in this one after reading the first chapter, it seemed a bit silly to me at first, but it quickly becomes an incredibly engaging story. There is some really beautiful artwork that really connects you with the story. I can see it not being for everyone, but I might put it in my top 5 Superman stories (up there with All-Star, Red Son, Kingdom Come, Whatever Happened To...). Definitely glad I picked this one up and I would definitely recommend it. Maybe not for everyone, but for many.

Hawkeye: My Life as a Weapon - I now get what all the fuss was about. Was this ever a fun book or what. Great stories, had me chuckling throughout, and an edge-of-your-seat ride from start to finish, through each story. So it looks like I'll be adding another Marvel book to my reading list after all. I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone. And that's all I can really say about it.

Quick Comic Reviews - Red She-Hulk, X'ed Out, and Hive

My power went out last night which meant I had time to read some comics (by candlelight no less).

Red She-Hulk Volume 1 - I had mixed feelings about this book. The main story seems just okay. The military is creating its own team of superpowers (as if that's never come up before) and the Red She-Hulk sees (through a somewhat convoluted story) that this is going to end badly. So, instead of doing something rational she decides to go it on her own (I think the Red She-Hulk and the machine that showed Betty the future) had something to do with that but it still seemed a stretch to make up some reasons for her to fight off the Avengers. And now that I'm typing that up I realize I wanted this story to be okay but I don't really think it is. But worst of all for me is that most of this volume is from Machine Man's perspective. We get glimpses of Red She-Hulk and Betty doing stuff but usually through Machine Man's eyes. So it doesn't really feel like a Red She-Hulk book until the end when she starts describing things to Machine Man. So I guess in a way, it's still really about Machine Man. So all in all, a rather disappointing book. I hope the next volume is better as I'll stick it out for a little while but it really needs to improve or I'll be dropping it.

X'ed Out and the Hive - I chalk these up to great artistic comics where I'm still wondering what the heck is going on. Things are starting to come together in the Hive but we still don't have the full picture. And it's what, two more years for the final book? Perhaps I'll avoid saying one way or another until I'm able to read the thing in full because for now, it's tough for me to recommend these books for most people. But if you're really thinking to try them out, then yeah, I'd say do so.

Quick Comic Reviews - Guarding the Globe Volume 2

The last few days I've spent quite a bit of time working on "inking" a drawing that a friend did and it's completely kicking my butt, these Final Fantasy characters are crazy complicated with all the details they throw in. And it doesn't help that I've been feeling like crap and only able to keep down toast and water.

As for the review...

Guarding the Globe Volume 2: Hard to Kill -- I had my doubts going into this volume but it definitely seemed to work for me. It juggled several really big villains while giving some character moments (mostly about Brit but some others get to shine as well). And the villains are pretty unique and are quickly shown to be major threats in different ways. The art worked for the most part, there were a few panels that I thought were a bit off but nothing too major. All in all, I think this is a fairly solid side story to Invincible (although you can actually read this book without reading Invincible) and I'll stick around for a little while.

Quick Comic Reviews - The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Volume 2

Went to the dentist today for a cleaning (and X-Rays). No cavities so I guess that's a good thing.

The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Volume 2 -- Archaia is really kicking butt with their variety of books and top notch production. This is a beautiful book with a great story. Jim Henson created such an amazing world with the Dark Crystal and this book is a worthy successor to the movie. Some may disagree with me on that point but it's how I feel. If you're a Jim Henson/Dark Crystal fan then I feel this is a must read for you. And even if you haven't seen the movie, it's just a wonderful comic. Now I can't wait for volume 3 to come out.